In the Europa League, the general stage also ended with its last - 8th round matches. The matches of the last round gave the fans exactly what they expected: goals "rained," there were dramatic turns, and some teams decided their fate in the final minutes.
This time, the leaders - Lyon and Aston Villa - once again launched the "no one gets bored" scenario. Especially Aston Villa's comeback under Emery's leadership amazed many: even when the team was 0:2 behind, they didn't break down emotionally and turned the game into 3-2, taking the victory not by "stealing" it, but through genuine character. In the match against Salzburg, goals from Rogers, Mingz, and Jimo were the key to victory.
Aston Villa - Salzburg 3:2
Goals: Rogers (65), Mingz (76), Jimo (87) - Konaté (33), Yeo (49).
And in "Betis," the name of Anthony should be mentioned separately. His actions on the field, cannonballs, and assists gave the team a great boost. As a result, they secured a 2-1 victory over Feyenoord, securing a spot among the eight teams that advanced directly to the Round of 16. This means one of the teams that purely fulfilled the "plan" in the last round.
Betis - Feyenoord 2:1
Goals: Antoni (17), Ezzalzuli (32) - Tengstedt (77).
Another fundamental struggle was observed in Greece: in the early 15th minute of Roma's match against Panathinaikos, Mancini was sent off, leaving Italy with ten men. Despite this, the Romans didn't fall: they drew 1-1 and managed to maintain the result they needed to stay in the top 8. In football, sometimes even a draw, not a victory, is a championship character.
Panathinaikos - Roma 1:1
Goals: Taborda (58) - Ziolkovski (80).
Red card: Mancini (15, Roma).
In another top-scoring match of the round, Lyon faced PAOK and won 4:2. In this match, too, the tempo is high, and the goals keep chasing each other. Lyon couldn't even convert a penalty, but ultimately maintained their advantage.
Lyon - PAOK 4:2
Goals: Himbert (34), Merah (55), Karabes (88), Gomez (90+3) - Yakumakis (20), Meite (67).
Missed penalty: Carabes (83, Lyon).
Red card: Constantelias (41, PAOK).
Meanwhile, some familiar names dropped into the additional playoffs instead of "directly reaching the 1/8 finals." Clubs like Nottingham Forest, Fenerbahçe, and Lille will now be forced to extend their route and continue through transition matches. Forest has a resounding 4-0 victory, but due to the overall situation, they also had to advance through the playoff stairs. Lille, on the other hand, won a very difficult game on penalties in the 90+2nd minute - such three points could later influence the tournament's fate.
Nottingham Forest - Ferencváros 4:0
Goals: Otvos (17, own goal), Jesus (21, 55), Makeity (90, penalty).
Lille - Freiburg 1:0
Goal: Giroud (90+2, penalty).
Red card: Eggestein (74, Freiburg).
The following results were recorded in the remaining matches:
Red Star - Celta Vigo 1:1
Goals: Duarte (89) - Lopez (87).
Maccabi Tel Aviv - Bologna 0:3
Goals: Rowe (35), Orsolini (47), Pobega (90+4).
Gou Ehed Eagles - Braga 0:0
Stuttgart - Young Boys 3:2
Goals: Undav (6), Demirovich (7), Andres (90) - Gigovic (42), Lauper (57).
Midtjylland - Dinamo Zagreb 2:0
Goals: Simsir (49), Buck (74).
Basel - Viktoria Plzeň 0:1
Goal: Panos (39).
Celtic - Utrecht 4:2
Goals: Neugren (6), Virgever (10, own goal), Engels (19, penalty), Trasti (66) - de Vitt (44), Blake (62).
Ludogorets - Nice 1:0
Goal: Stanić (42).
Sturm - Brann 1:0
Goal: Kitemshvili (85).
Genk - Malmö 2:1
Goals: Heymans (45, penalty), Caretsas (82) - Ali (4).
Europa League standings after Matchday 8:
In short, the intrigue remained in place at the end of the Europa League general stage: on one side were those who reached the 1/8 finals directly, while on the other side were those who were fighting to "survive" in the extra round. Now the most interesting part is starting - there are no mistakes in the playoffs, one episode can either illuminate or erase the entire season.
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